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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446115">Closeness</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerd_Peridot/pseuds/Nerd_Peridot'>Nerd_Peridot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Amedot Week, Awkward Romance, F/F, First Kiss, Making Out, Partying, Steven Universe Future</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:34:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446115</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerd_Peridot/pseuds/Nerd_Peridot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Peridot learns there are other ways for two gems to get close besides fusion. Made for day 2 of Winter Amedot Week 2020!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amethyst/Peridot (Steven Universe)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Closeness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since Amethyst had first learned about the Crystal Gem army of yore, she daydreamed about what it would have been like to be in the group back then. Fighting side-by-side, standing up to the diamonds, camping out with her fellow soldiers and swapping war stories… it all sounded so heroic and cool and important.</p><p>Now that the gang was back together and uncorrupted, she learned there was one more important thing about the group. Something Rose, Garnet, and Pearl had never mentioned before.</p><p>The Crystal Gems threw W-I-L-D parties.</p>
<p></p><div class="media-holder media-holder-draggable media-holder-hr"><hr class="tmblr-truncated"/>
<p></p></div><p>The night started out chill enough. Everyone gathered by a bonfire on the beach to hang out with old friends. Then someone turned on music. Music lead to dancing. Dancing lead to fusion. And suddenly the party had become a friendly competition to see who could make the biggest, baddest, most epic fusion of the night.</p><p>So far, the largest fusion had had seven gems. SEVEN. GEMS. Sure it had only lasted for less than a minute before growing unstable, defusing, and collapsing in a heap of laughing gems—not everyone was as experienced as Fluorite being in a fusion <em>quite</em> that big—but damn was it impressive. Amethyst supposed she should have realized how laid-back the Crystal Gems would be about multi-gem fusions. After all, they’d clearly had a lot of practice, as evidenced by the enormous weapons left behind in the strawberry battlefield.</p><p>The latest fusion was up to four gems. She was nearly as tall as Sugilite, with deep blue skin, four eyes, and six arms. Amethyst briefly wondered what her name was, but it was pointless to get too caught up trying to get to know each fusion. As soon as the next gem joined, there’d be a new fusion in her place.</p><p>“FIVE! FIVE! FIVE! FIVE!” the crowd chanted, as a Nephrite with eyes gleaming in the firelight made a running start towards the fusion. She leaped into the air. As the fusion caught her, they glowed and combined into an even taller, forest green fusion. The crowd cheered, and the fusion stomped her feet, sending vibrations across the beach.</p><p>To her right, Amethyst heard Peridot let out something that sounded like “Meep!” She was picking up an overturned soda can but stopped to applaud along with everyone else.</p><p>“Everything OK?” Amethyst asked.</p><p>“I spilled my drink,” she said over the noise of the crowd, “but I’ve got it, no worries.”</p><p>Amethyst almost said something back, but the crowd started up again: “SIX! SIX! SIX! SIX!”</p><p>This time, a Carnelian launched herself into the fusion, and an orange powerhouse of a gem towered over the crowd. She let out a roar that expelled flames. The windlike force from her breath blew everyone’s hair back.</p><p>Peridot stood frozen and wide-eyed for a second before setting down her drink to applaud again. Amethyst noticed her hand shook a bit as she set down the can.</p><p>She casually tapped Peridot’s shoulder. “It’s so loud here. Feel like taking a walk on the beach with me?”</p><p>The relief in Peridot’s eyes was immediate. “Oh! Sure, but only if <em>you</em> want to.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“—and so we’re just about done trimming the roses when we hear this crashing sound coming from the back of the greenhouse. Lo and behold, there it is again.”</p><p>“They crashed the football into your windows AGAIN?”</p><p>“For the fifth freaking time!”</p><p>“Noooo!” Amethyst said with an incredulous laugh.</p><p>They were a good distance away from the bonfire now. As they walked, the only light was from the night sky and the reflection of the moon on the water. Peridot was doing the majority of the talking, per usual, but Amethyst kind of liked it that way. It was nice to see Peridot chatter happily about her day, to see her eyes light up when she explained something she cared about or shared a funny story.</p><p>“So they’re running over to get the ball, and Blue Lace yells out, ‘I warned you guys about this. You know what happens now’ and she KICKS THE BALL into the air, and it goes so far that it lands into the ocean!” To illustrate, Peridot mimicked her forceful kick, which sent a stream of sand into the air right onto Amethyst.</p><p>“OH, Peridot, do be more careful!” Amethyst said in an extra pompous voice (almost like Pearl’s) so Peridot knew she was only kidding. “You’re getting sand all over me.” She gave an exaggerated huff and brushed off her shorts with a flourish.</p><p>Peridot let out a snort and grinned. “My apologies! It was an accident.”</p><p>“I should hope so!”</p><p>“I mean, if I were <em>trying</em> to get sand all over you,” Peridot said slyly, reaching down to scoop up some sand, “I would have done this.” She flung it straight at Amethyst’s chest.</p><p>With a deadpan expression, Amethyst glanced down at the sand on her shirt, then up again at Peridot. Peri’s smile was smug. There was a glint of a challenge in her eye.</p><p>“Of course you know, this means war,” Amethyst said.</p><p>Peridot’s grin spread further. “And what are you going to do about it?”</p><p>“This,” she said, and then launched herself at Peridot, tackling her to the ground. </p><p>It was a flurry of sand and laughter as the two of them flung handfuls at each other, shoveled it over limbs, and mushed it into any patch of skin they could reach. It wasn’t long at all before they were covered with sand from head to toe, not that Amethyst minded. It was worth it to hear Peridot’s endearing cackle as she lobbed the sand in rapid fire. (Not to mention the hilarious way Peridot yelped when a mound of cold wet sand fell down her top.)</p><p>It wasn’t until sand got into Amethyst’s eyes that she finally gave up. “Truce! Truce!” She laughed and excused herself to rinse off in the ocean.</p><p>“HA! I am victorious!” Peridot flopped back into the sand and pumped her fists in celebration.</p><p>When Amethyst came back, Peridot was still laying in the sand, arms folded over her belly while she looked up at the stars. Amethyst flopped down to join her, resting her hands behind her head.</p><p>They stared up at the stars for a moment. Amethyst let out a small, contented sigh. It was a nice night.</p><p>“Listen,” Peridot broke the silence, her serious tone catching Amethyst by surprise. “Thanks for leaving the party with me.” Amethyst glanced at her. Peridot kept gazing up at the stars, a slight frown on her face. “I have a feeling maybe you thought I was uncomfortable there.” Looking worried, she turned her head to face Amethyst. “Was it that obvious?”</p><p>“I mean, only to someone who really knows you.” She quickly continued, “But hey, I get it. Those fusions were freaking huge. Even I was a little intimidated.”</p><p>Peridot nodded emphatically. “They were! Stars, I thought I was going to get stomped on!” They both laughed a little at that. Then Peridot got serious again. “I just don’t want anyone to think I hate fusions. I know I really offended Garnet about that when I first came to Earth.”</p><p>“No one thinks that.”</p><p>Peridot closed her eyes. She spoke in a small voice. “They know I’m the only one here who doesn’t fuse, though.”</p><p>Amethyst paused. She had never heard Peridot say anything about this before. “So?”</p><p>“It’s not that I mind anyone else fusing. Garnet is really cool, and you know I think Smoky is amazing. It’s just not something that appeals to me personally. I don’t think it ever will. But it’s one of the biggest things Crystal Gems are known for, and I’m the only Crystal Gem who doesn’t do it.”</p><p>“Ok hang on a minute.” Amethyst rolled over to face Peridot, leaning her head against her hand. “First of all, nobody believes you’re against the idea of gems fusing anymore. And second, nobody cares if you fuse or not!”</p><p>“Come on, you know as well as I do that fusion is a big deal to the Crystal Gems. They do it to have fun at parties! They do it to fight!” She scowled. “They do it to express their love for each other! Fusing is the Crystal Gems’ whole thing.”</p><p>“The Crystal Gems’ ‘<em>thing’</em> is doing what makes you happy whether it’s popular or not, and not giving a crap about what anybody else thinks about it.”</p><p>Peridot pressed her lips into a thin line. She kept looking like she was going to say something, but it took her a moment to squeak out, “So you wouldn’t be upset if you and I never fused?”</p><p>“Huh? Of course not! Why would I be?”</p><p>“It’s just… you’ve fused with everyone who’s most important to you. Steven, Garnet, Pearl… I want to be close with you just like they are, but I don’t know if fusion is something I can ever offer.”</p><p>Amethyst stopped for a second and sighed. What could she say to convince Peridot that everything was OK? “Listen, the thing you have to realize about fusion is that it’s not the end-all be-all of closeness. It’s just another form of intimacy. And you don’t have to fuse to have intimacy.”</p><p>“You don’t?” Peridot turned on her side to face her.</p><p>“No way. I know it doesn’t seem like it because we’ve had a crazy couple of years and needed to fuse a lot more often, but up until you got here, we didn’t really fuse all that much. There are all kinds of other ways to be close with the people you care about. Like just, I dunno—hanging out. Talking. Walks on the beach.”</p><p>“Sand fights?” Peridot smiled weakly.</p><p>“<em>Exactly,</em>” Amethyst said emphatically. “Peri, you’re one of my best friends and all-time favorite gems. And we didn’t need fusion to get that close, we just <em>are</em>.”</p><p>Peridot discreetly wiped the corner of her eye. “I feel close to you, too,” she said in a soft voice.</p><p>“It doesn’t matter what we do together.” A lock of hair fell across Amethyst’s face, and she brushed it back away from her eyes. Then she reached out and grabbed Peridot’s shoulder for a reassuring squeeze. “I just like being with you.”</p><p>And then Peridot kissed her.</p><p>From out of nowhere, Peridot had moved in and pressed her lips right against hers. Amethyst froze. Barely a second later, before she could even process what was happening, before she could even consider whether to kiss her back, it was over. Peridot pulled back, gazing into her eyes.</p><p>One thought alone ran through Amethyst’s mind:</p><p>
  <em>‘WHAT?’</em>
</p><p>Her mind had gone numb. All she could do is stare back at Peridot in silent shock. The silence stretched, and Peridot was staring at her, probably waiting for some kind of reaction, so Amethyst mustered up all her effort to eek out, “You kissed me.”</p><p>Peridot swallowed. “That is an accurate observation.”</p><p><em>‘What the frick??’</em> Amethyst thought again. Peridot couldn’t be interested in her that way! She didn’t think Peridot wasn’t interested in <em>anything</em> romantic like that. Well, maybe her ships in Camp Pining Hearts, but that doesn’t count, right?</p><p>As Amethyst continued struggling to process what had just happened—really, where had <em>that</em> come from? —she noticed Peridot looking more and more nervous. She was looking at Amethyst expectantly and fiddling with the sand. Amethyst forced herself to say something else, anything else. “I wasn’t expecting that,” she said, cringing inwardly at how lame that sounded.</p><p>Peridot’s whole body seemed to wilt, and she turned her eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry, I just… I thought we could be… I thought maybe you might… ” She took a breath and looked up again into Amethyst’s eyes. “You looked pretty,” she finished weakly. She immediately winced like she regretted saying it.</p><p>But a feeling of warmth flooded Amethyst’s chest at her words. Peridot really could be so sweet sometimes. Wide-eyed, Amethyst lifted her hand to her mouth. Her lips still burned where Peridot had touched them.</p><p>Huh.</p><p>“I’m just gonna go,” Peridot made a move to get up, but didn’t get far.</p><p>Amethyst gently grabbed her arm and impulsively pulled her into a kiss.</p><p>Peridot seemed just as shocked as Amethyst had been the first time. She gasped and was completely still for a moment. But then she melted into the kiss, pressing her lips back against Amethyst’s in a gentle caress, and Amethyst knew: This was something special. Warmth spread from Amethyst’s gem throughout her form with every movement Peri made. The soft touch of her resting her hand on Amethyst’s cheek, stroking it slowly with her thumb. The electrifying way she moved in closer to hold her body against hers. The tender way she met Amethyst’s lips again and again.</p><p>It was heaven.</p><p>Or at least it was until they were rudely interrupted by a sudden ocean wave.</p><p>As the ice-cold Atlantic water washed over them, Peridot (who had always been more sensitive to temperature than the average gem) shrieked and scrambled to her feet and away from the shore. Getting up to join her, Amethyst couldn’t help but giggle at Peridot’s over-the-top scowl and sopping, messy hair.</p><p>“You know, you’re pretty cute, too,” Amethyst said with a smile, booping her nose. “Even when you look like a cat that got sprayed with the hose.”</p><p>Peridot groaned and shook some water from her hands. “I have to say, this isn’t exactly how I thought my first kiss would go. Or my second.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, you know what they say. Third time’s the charm.” Amethyst gave her a wink, and Peridot’s sour face transformed into flustered, beaming grin. Amethyst offered her hand. “Come on, let’s go get cleaned up.”</p><p>As they walked back, Amethyst marveled at the feeling of Peridot’s hand intertwined with hers. There really were so many different ways to be close to someone without fusing, and she was looking forward to experiencing as many with Peridot as she could.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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